Munster SHC S-Final – Cork 2-19 Limerick 0-12

Corl defeated Limerick by 2-19 to 0-12 in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship Semi Final on Sunday in Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Cork 2-19 Limerick 0-12

From the RTE.ie web site

Sunday, 20 June 2010 21:01

Substitute Paudie O’Sullivan’s late goal put the seal on a comfortable Munster SHC semi-final win for Cork, as 14-man Limerick’s resistance eventually petered out at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. This inexperienced and youthful Limerick side started well under a strength-sapping sun, but Sean Herlihy’s first half dismissal for striking was a serious setback. Cork were 1-10 to 0-06 ahead by half-time, with Pat Horgan netting from a penalty and Graeme Mulcahy impressing for the underdogs with three points. The second half was a one-sided affair, however, and although midfielder Tommy O’Brien finished with six points for the Shannonsiders, Cork’s Man of the Match Niall McCarthy (0-05) was just as influential.

With the dispute between last year’s panel and manager Justin McCarthy still not resolved, the Limerick starting line-up included nine Championship debutants. David Breen, Paul Browne, Paudie McNamara, new captain Bryan O’Sullivan and James O’Brien were the only survivors from last August’s All-Ireland semi-final loss to Tipperary. Cork, the recent conquerors of Tipp, had chosen an unchanged team during the week, but a hamstring problem saw midfielder Tom Kenny replaced by the 20-year-old Lorcan McLoughlin who made his SHC bow. When these sides met in National League Division 1 in February, Denis Walsh’s charges gained a 2-21 to 1-14 victory and most pre-match predictions suggested a cakewalk for the league champions.

Certainly given Cork’s electric triumph over Tipp and the lack of Championship experience across the current Limerick squad, a heavy beating looked on the cards for the visitors. It was a cagey opening from both sides with little final product. James O’Brien, Pat Horgan, Niall McCarthy and Tommy O’Brien all hit wides before Paudie McNamara converted a sixth minute free for the lead score. Andrew Brennan darted forward for Limerick’s second point, sandwiched between Cork’s opening efforts from Jerry O’Connor and Horgan. But the Rebels took a lead they would not relinquish, courtesy of an 11th minute penalty which was won and sent to the net by corner forward Horgan. Amid a spell of fluent, fleet-footed attacking from Cork, Horgan then took his tally to 1-02 with a well-taken point. Limerick stuck stubbornly to their task, albeit with McNamara struggling from placed balls. A brace of points from Mulcahy moved Limerick onto 0-04, but with ten minutes remaining in the half, Cork had cantered on to 1-07.

McCarthy, McLoughlin and Ben O’Connor all pointed during that period, and Horgan missed a second penalty – Shane O’Neill, the defender who fouled him, doing well to block the shot and clear. An Anthony Owens point was followed by two from the O’Connor twins, Jerry and Ben, with the latter’s being probably the point of the half – a sublime strike from a tight angle near the right sideline. Cork seemingly had the quality to pull clear, but with target man Aisake O hAilpin kept quiet by David Breen, Limerick were growing in confidence by the minute. They earned a penalty of their own when John Gardiner floored the onrushing James O’Brien. Yet Cork goalkeeper Donal Og Cusack rescued his wing back when he saved McNamara’s penalty effort and the danger was averted.

A knee injury to corner back Brian Murphy left Cork having to readjust and Limerick suffered a huge blow in injury-time when referee James Owens gave a straight red card to Limerick wing forward Sean Herlihy as he was seen swinging out at Cork substitute Shane Murphy in retaliation. The sides split two points as the half came to a close, Mulcahy and Cork captain Kieran Murphy on target, and Walsh’s side were able to build a match-winning lead in the opening minutes of the second period. Tommy O’Brien nipped it back to 1-10 to 0-07 for Limerick, before scores from Ben O’Connor, McCarthy and Jerry O’Connor launched Cork towards a double figures lead.

McCarthy’s youngsters were fading, despite the best efforts of top scorer O’Brien, and they had goalkeeper Tadhg Flynn to thank for a smart save as he denied Paudie O’Sullivan a goal after a clever attack involving Sean Og O hAilpin. O’Brien had closed the gap back to 1-15 to 0-09, prior to that. Cork replied through wing forward McCarthy who hit another gear in the second half. He tagged on two excellent scores. It was now becoming a shootout between O’Brien and McCarthy as the result had long been put to bed. Cusack did well again to prevent Mulcahy from rippling the net. It was a goal that Limerick’s dogged efforts had deserved, but it never came and O’Sullivan, taking a pass from fellow substitute Michael Cussen, thundered through to bat home Cork’s second in the 69th minute. Cork skipper Murphy struck the final point to make the winning margin 13 points. A satisfactory scoreline for the Rebels who march into their first Munster final since 2006, while Limerick can, at least, take some positives from today into the All-Ireland qualifiers.